AA this E9 - FED back and forth has me wondering , where do these two leagues stack up nationally ? Overall all age groups . in no particular order , are there others that stack up ...

HSHL
TIER1 ELITE LEAGUE
FED
E9

I think you mean HPHL.......

USPHL , AYHL two other real good leagues

It really depends on the age group. Everything changes at HS, with leagues like the MPDHL having very good half season teams. And this region is different at the HS level than others because of the number of prep and private schools, so the answer to the league question would be different at U14 and up than U12 and down. We've certainly seen that MA teams can be competitive if properly constructed, like MMF a few years ago. But, a "regular" league team from the EHF or E9 is going to have a hard time competing at a national level.

And, what league is the Jr Bruins Brick team in?

But, for me, hands down, it's the HPHL. Only six teams, drawing the best players from very large geographies, from Squirts on. If you've ever played Honey Baked, or Little Caesars, or Chicago Mission, you understand that these are truly elite teams, and what we call "elite" is laughable.

......."But, for me, hands down, it's the HPHL. Only six teams, drawing the best players from very large geographies, from Squirts on. If you've ever played Honey Baked, or Little Caesars, or Chicago Mission, you understand that these are truly elite teams, and what we call "elite" is laughable."

Poster is right. It's exclusive and the quality of hockey is hard to beat. The philosophies of these teams/clubs is just different, and that's a big factor. HB04, BT03, LC02 - those are all teams that are built to win. Yes - development is a factor, and they get great coaching..... but every move those teams make year in/year out is for wins/losses and national acclaim.

Not only do they pull from a hockey-rich area like Michigan, but they also work the system to bring in import players, usually the best players from OTHER geographical areas. Layer on top of that $70K/yr coaching salaries, and all of the sudden, it's a business.

If you're talking generally cross-BY, the top 3 FED clubs are probably close or right there with them (some BY teams closer than others).

Beyond that, goal margin starts expanding.

Agreed - quality competition locally is the feather in new england's cap. HPHL's Detroit-to-Chicago trip is one thing - but imagine the AYHL teams - having to travel up and down from Virginia to CT. Not sure I'd be willing to do that.

Or worse yet, LA Jr Kings, Florida Alliance, Dallas Stars...the only AAA teams for miles. It's a flight to find any competition. Makes the trip to Enfield seem walkable.

I've seen it and I agree. It is kind of cool, 5-6 years ago when they were first bringing teams into Pilgrim we went to watch and saved a program. Looking at the names and looking up the kids now old enough to be in juniors & college it is pretty amazing how many are still doing real well.

The local teams that have USPHL Junior teams would be the first local teams to put youth teams into it I would suppose. First dibs.

Chicago Mission 06 team is playing SSK, VJW, BJE, and AVP for four games Friday through Sunday. No clue how they are, but should be intersting to see what happens, and how these teams all pan out this season.

All youth parents should be very interested in the results. Will show a lot about local hockey. The fact that it is two EHF teams and two E9 teams makes it even more intriguing. Of course, one series doesn't prove anything, and if CM is playing four games and the others one, that can be a factor.

CM will run the table on the Mass. teams. Jr. Eagles the only team that can possibly beat CM.

The Chicago Mission 06 team is VERY WEAK by their standards. Team Illinois 06 will be the #1 team in the country by year end, Fury and CYA will do fine this year in their own right. But Mission... they will finish 4th out of 4 in Chicago. With that said, the 06 birth year is an anomaly for the Mission program. Every other birth year at Mission is very strong... except for 06.

That depends, if you are talking Mite, Squirt, Pee Wee then there are a lot of leagues far and away better than e9/Fed, including other AA leagues. LCAHL in Michigan, CSDHL in the MidWest, MHL in Minnesota just to name a few.

What Mass has going for it is the total amount of youth hockey players... Mass gets more kids into College and Pros than any other state not named MN because of the volume of skaters. But as far as leagues, other states/regions have better overall teams/leagues due to the concentration of elite players on a relatively small amount of teams and singular leagues that encompass the entire state.

There are too many leagues here in NE so the teams themselves (while having a handful of elite players per roster) are overwhelmingly compromised of kids that would be AA/A players anywhere else in the country.


Once you get to the older age groups and Jrs. it evens-out. The amount of skaters participating drops dramatically and Mass teams are right there with the best in the country.

Mass 4th in NHL players last season according to http://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/state-totals/nhl-players-2015-16-stats.html

Yes, this number fluctuates.. but I also said College, Jrs., and Preps. Plus historically Mass is behind only Canada and and MN when it comes to the pros.

For youth its HPHL then Fed. e9 not even in the mix. USPHL is Tier 2 at youth, complete joke.

For HS kids its Tier 1 by far. Fed is a joke above Bantam Minor.

Not always a joke @ Midgets....usually yes, not always.

Always